Blog

Written by Abbie Nicholls

Childcare is something all parents spend a lot of time researching. Placing your child in the care of someone else can be a tricky transition however there are many reasons why childcare can be a great choice for your child. Daycare with a focus on the highest quality of care and education will provide you and your child with loads of great benefits.

Social skills

High quality childcare prepares kids for formal schooling in more ways than one. Children that attend childcare or daycare nurseries will establish important social skills at a key time in their life. At our Balga Early Learning Centre, this is achieved by our framework of learning through play. While interacting with peers and our wonderful educators, children will learn to share, problem solve and collaborate with a range of others—providing experiences that can be difficult to replicate with just play-dates. These skills will give your child a great start in early formal schooling and will provide a vital level of social awareness that could have been missed without daycare.

Emotional development

One of the main goals of successful childcare is to nurture your child’s individuality. This can only occur effectively when a child feels safe and secure enough in their environment that they can build trusting relationships to support their growth. At Balga ELC we’re not ‘babysitters’ but qualified and experienced educators who understand the importance of nurturing your child’s emotional resilience. We love that our community is diverse and we always respect that working with parents and families is the smartest way to create tailored care and learning for every unique little learner.

Learning independence

Being an individual means more than allowing the space for your child to express their growing personalities, it also means giving children new tasks to learn independence. We offer our kids a range of self-care opportunities daily which include learning to feed themselves, toileting, setting the table for a meal and learning to take care of their own shoes and hats for outdoor play. In our supportive environments children will also be given the opportunity to help and encourage peers to complete activities. This development of their independence builds a strong sense of self-worth and pride in our little learners which will become more and more obvious.

Preparation for formal schooling

Top quality childcare’s most vital outcome is that children will be better prepared for formal schooling when the right time comes. Our kindy environment provides the foundations required for a positive start at school. We encourage a trusted format of learning through play which teaches basic numeracy, literacy, social and emotional skills in order to grow confidence and resilience. We achieve this while also getting them used to a usual schooling structure and providing them with a sense of security in knowing what to expect in their day with us.

Expanding language skills

Children often love to express themselves when they are in a secure environment that gives them the opportunity to do so. One way to help them achieve this is exposing children to a more language-rich environment than they would otherwise have access to, which is something high-quality childcare centres are able to focus on. We develop these skills through engaging games, songs and interaction with experienced educators. Many of our beloved educators speak multiple languages and, through regular interaction and activities, are able to immerse your children in many cultures to give them an invaluable awareness of the wider community.

Instilling a love of learning

Children are naturally curious individuals. Providing the much-needed encouragement to explore the things they are interested in is the key to spark their imagination. When a child is engaged by their learning, they will never run out of stories to tell you about their incredible day out in the world. We understand how to nurture this natural eagerness to learn in our kids and through a range of real-life scenarios, we teach them how they can guide their own learning.

Contact Us!

In the ensuing information overload of trying to find the perfect fit, it’s easy to lose yourself, but remember: the reason many parents choose daycare is to make life easier for themselves and their child, so try not to overcomplicate it.

At our Balga ELC, we accommodate for longer working hours, as we close for the day at 6pm. Our fees are always very competitive thanks to our philosophy of leaving no one in our community in need. We also currently have availability in our baby, toddler and kindy rooms!

Deciding on the right childcare can be a daunting choice, but there are plenty out there to suit all children—just make sure you do your research. And if you want to hear more about our wonderful early learning centre, why not book a tour? Contact us at 0428 687 949 or Jo.Ineson@salvationarmy.org.au

Happy learning!